by KB Winters
She nodded, wild curls blowing in the breeze. “Doesn’t matter. I’m leaving now.” I knew she didn’t want to leave, but to her credit, Peaches didn’t go for theatrics and she didn’t linger, packing her car quickly before she returned to clean up her campsite.
“Where will you go?”
She shrugged. “I’ll land somewhere safe. See you around, Gunnar.”
“Cross says you’re in trouble.” I blurted out.
When Peaches smiled it was like a rainbow after a storm, even the sad one she flashed over her shoulder. “Nothing I can’t handle. Kiss Maisie for me.”
“Stay here.”
“Thanks, Gunnar, but I can’t. Someone I sort of knew back east was found dead. They killed him, and he didn’t know anything, not even my real name.” She blinked, faster and faster until her tears were under control.
“I can’t let you leave, Peaches.”
“You can’t make me stay either.” She ducked inside the car and slammed the door loud enough that a few birds flew from their perch in the trees above us.
She was wrong about one thing, though. I could make her stay. Making my way to the driver’s side, I tapped on the window. “I need your help.”
“Don’t lie to me, Gunnar and please don’t make me start thinking you’re a good guy.”
My lips twitched at her smart fucking mouth. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I do need the help, and since you’re here, I’m figuring maybe I could get the friends and family discount.”
Here burgundy brows arched and she leaned forward to look me in the eyes. “Are we friends, Gunnar?”
“We’re not enemies.” No matter what she thought, Peaches was not my enemy.
“Good to know. I still can’t stay.”
“Damn stubborn woman.” I reached inside the window and snatched the keys from the ignition. “No one who knows you’re here will tell anyone, which means you can stick around a few days to help me with my security for the club.”
“I don’t need your charity.”
“Good, because nothin’ in this life is free, sweetheart. You’re getting room and board plus the best protection money can buy all for the low, low price of giving me the best security system you can.”
“What kind of club?” She was intrigued and that was enough for now.
“Let’s talk about it over dinner.”
“Let’s talk about it right now. Right here.” Chin tilted in defiance, Peaches leaned back against the seat with her arms folded, giving me a perfect view of her tits. “What kind of club?”
“Adult entertainment. I need high end, non-intrusive digital security. That’s your thing isn’t it?”
“It is. One sign of trouble, and I’m out of here, whether the job is done or not. And don’t ask for details. The less you know the better.”
She was such a damn contradiction. Her curves and wild hair made her seem like a ditz or a sexpot, but she was smart as hell, capable and confident. It was a goddamn turn on. “I’ll drive your car back to the house. I can send someone out here for the ATV. You can stay with me and Maisie.”
“That’s not a good idea. And I’ll drive.”
“Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?”
“Maybe,” she admitted, full lips curved into a sardonic smile and I jumped in the passenger seat and spent the drive back to the main house with a hard-on that made it impossible to think straight.
Chapter Twelve
Peaches
“So when you said adult entertainment you meant fucking.”
I’d spent all night trying to figure out just who the hell Gunnar was, a nice guy trying to help a girl out of the goodness of his heart or a dick just like all the others. I was sure the job was just a way to get me to stick around a little longer to soothe his conscious or some fucked up shit like that.
Then this morning after a delicious breakfast of bacon, shoestring potatoes and fruit salad, Gunnar had grunted at me. “Come with me.”
I decided not to be difficult for a change. After all, he’d given me a bedroom in the main house, upstairs near Maisie’s room. In my trusty lace-up black boots I stomped out of the kitchen and followed him out of the main house with my eyes glued to his ass because…hell, the man did wicked things to denim. And denim did wicked things for his ass.
“Yeah, I meant fucking. You got a problem with that?” He was defensive, as he always was when it came to me, arms crossed and a scowl on his face in anticipation of my answer.
“No. I thought maybe I’d pegged you wrong. You don’t strike me as a nightclub kind of guy, drink minimums and electronic music probably piss you off.” Even the thought of it made me laugh because there were a lot of things that pissed Gunnar off. Even a damn fine orgasm hadn’t cured him of his quick to anger reflex, and I didn’t know whether to be insulted or accept it as the challenge my body seemed to think it was. “But this is exactly what I expected.” The place still had a long way to go before the doors could open, but what was here looked hot.
“What the hell does that mean?” he asked me.
Another laugh bubbled up out of me and that laugh brought me up short. Gunnar was a grumpy son of a bitch, but dammit if he didn’t always make me laugh. Whether he liked it or not. “It means that an adult club is dark and raw and gritty. Intense. That’s more your speed.”
“Hmph.” He practically snarled in my direction before turning away, giving me a chance to look at the main room without his masculine distraction. I shouldn’t have fucked him because now my body was like a whore in heat, too eager to climb that big body and go for another ride.
The main room was mostly an open space, and I could practically see it with the large hooks in the ceiling holding human-sized birdcages, reds and blacks everywhere with a thumping erotic beat filling the room. It had doors everywhere, mirrors too. Down a long dimly lit hall there was another room, twice as large as the first with a six foot high stage that was large enough to fit three king sized beds. At least. I let out a low whistle as I took it all in. “Wow.”
“Impressed?”
“Kind of. This room just begs you to get naked and start fucking.” It just had that vibe about it. Or at least it would soon.
“Let’s go.” At the back of the room he’d put in a spiral staircase with a cushioned velvet bannister I followed Gunnar down to a lower level. It was dark, and I knew the music would be a low throb, enough to mimic the race of the heartbeat as people walked the hallway, deciding which room to enter. The one with the mirrors so they could watch or be watched, the leather straps so they could get spanked or do the spanking, whips, ties, ball gags, silk scarves and pretty much anything else anyone with a kink could ask for was down here, the equipment very nearly complete.
The décor was dark jewel tones, deep blues and purples, red and green. Silk and velvet and leather. It all screamed sex.
“Well done,” I said at the end of the tour.
It wasn’t my first sex club, truth be told, but it was nicer than most. “You’re expecting big money clients.”
“I am.”
“It shows. This place screams high end eroticism.” Rich people had their kinks as much as the average guy, but money has a way of taking a kink and turning it on its ass.
“Glad you approve.” His tone said he didn’t give a damn, but I could see his relief as the tension in those broad shoulders relaxed.
“I do. When do you plan on opening the Back Door?”
His lips twitched. “Barn Door.”
“Is that name negotiable?”
“Nope.”
I shrugged. “Can’t blame a girl for trying. Ready to talk business?”
His nod was reluctant but his blue gaze seared through me as we went through each room, one by one, and I gave him the lowdown on security. “Typically if you have a members only policy you don’t need to worry about digital security in each room, not to mention you’ll run afoul of porn laws if you do.”
“Porn laws?”
&
nbsp; I nodded. “Identification for performers and age verification, all that legal stuff that applies when you’re shooting sex acts for profit.” I knew he was about to insist it wasn’t for profit. “It’s not an accusation, just what the law will say if you’re ever unfortunate enough to have to deal with them down here.”
“So no cameras in the rooms? Just the hallways and the big rooms upstairs.” His tone was firm, resolved. It surprised me because he seemed like a guy who would rather bite off his own arm than admit a woman was right. Especially me.
“Yep. Facing the big crowds, not the stage.”
Gunnar nodded and scrubbed a hand down his scruff, drawing my attention to his thick-corded forearms dusted with dark hair. His head had been shaved clean when I saw him in Mayhem, but with short dark hair, he was even hotter. Bastard.
“Anything else?”
There was plenty and I figured it was best to get it all out of the way now, since he wouldn’t be any more receptive to it another time.
“You should have quality cameras in the parking lot, at the front door, and on all sides of the building exterior. If some of these good ol’ boys find out what this is and can’t get in, you’ll be happy for them.”
He thought about my words for so long I thought he’d disregard them, hell I expected it. But he eventually nodded his agreement at the bottom of the stairs and motioned for me to go first.
“Thanks.”
I blinked once. Twice. “Did you just…I’m sorry could you repeat that?” I stepped closer and leaned my ear toward him, enjoying the way his face lit up when he smiled because it happened so rarely.
“I said thank you, Peaches. Do you need it in writing?”
“Would you give it to me if I said yes?”
He took a step closer. “Nope.”
“Tease,” I accused and thought better of it a second too late. Gunnar was in my space, invading my space and my senses until my nipples were hard and my panties were soaked. My breathing was shallow, and I blamed his nearness, his cologne, that fucking gleam in his eyes.
“I never tease.” His deep voice rumbled and even though my mind begged my body to take a step back, the dirty slut took a step forward until my nipples rubbed up against his hard chest under that soft t-shirt. Big hands slid down to my ass and pulled me up close and personal with his denim-clad erection just as his mouth slammed down on mine.
I didn’t want his kiss, but damn if the rest of me did. I melted when our tongues collided and danced, but it wasn’t a light and easy kiss. It wasn’t breezy or casual, it was raw. It was hungry and all consuming, and I grabbed onto his big shoulders and hung on as my legs gave out under me.
When I moaned into Gunnar’s mouth, he smiled and lifted me up with his big hands gripping my ass until I moaned again. It didn’t matter that he slammed my back against the wall, all that mattered was the feel of his muscles under my hands, the taste of his tongue, the feel of his soft strong lips moving against mine. The way his cock nestled right between my thighs and made me wish we were both naked.
“Hey, Gunnar, you around?” The voice belonged to the only one of the men who didn’t have much to say to me. Joplin Saint.
Gunnar froze and ground into me again, swallowing another of my moans before he stepped back and my legs slid to the floor. “Horrible fucking timing.”
My body agreed, but my mind was grateful to the quiet, nervous man. “Perfect fantasy material for later,” I told him and took a step back to straighten my shirt and smooth my untamable curls.
“Later?” he asked.
I wouldn’t let the incredulity in his tone get to me.
“I’m coming up now!” he called up to Saint.
I went up first, giving Gunnar time to get that big cock of his under control, all while my body cried that he wasn’t pounding into me right now.
“Hey Saint, how’s it going?” I said lightly when we reached the top of the staircase.
He shrugged. “It’s going. The club is coming along, don’t you think?”
I spent a few minutes telling him my thoughts on the club. “Looks like this is a job that will keep you busy.”
“Yeah, probably.” His piercing green eyes looked everywhere but at me, and I gave him a small, not too friendly smile and walked away. Gunnar had the blueprints for the club so I could use them to give him a proper security plan.
At least a few hours of work would distract me from the fact that once again, I was a woman without a home.
Chapter Thirteen
Gunnar
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Holden sat in the old green office chair that looked like it hadn’t been replaced since the seventies, legs crossed on one side of the desk, Stetson covering the keyboard and his hands cupping the back of his head.
I sighed and looked around his office located in the back of the barn closest to the main house. “Hell no, I’m not sure, but it has to be done.” I’d talked to Cross several times about an idea I’d been playing with since agreeing to let the guys come stay on the ranch. Finally, he agreed. “Do you think it’s too soon?”
Holden shook his head, overgrown brown hair brushing up against his collar, not that I gave damn, but he always wore a hat so it was hard to tell what the hell he looked like.
“Nah. Sometimes a man just needs some support to heal, maybe this club will do that.”
Right. “Here they come.” The men, Saint, Slayer and Cruz, walked inside and took an empty seat without being told.
“What’s going on, Boss?” Slayer leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed at the knee while he stroked his beard.
“It’s Gunnar, and there are a few things we need to discuss.” Other than Saint, all the men were relaxed and open to listening.
“Whatever it was, I didn’t do it,” Cruz said with a smile that was more innocent than he’d ever been in his whole fucking life.
“Yeah right.” We all laughed at Cruz, who had a gift for not taking life too seriously. “First, we have another man coming soon. His name is Wheeler and he’s bringing his brother, Mitch, with him. He’s a therapist and I want you to feel free to talk to him if you feel you need to, but it isn’t conditional on you staying here.”
Men—especially military men—tended to have a certain view about admitting any kind of medical weakness, but they were out of the service now, and I needed them healthy. Looking around at each man, they each carried a certain type of pain and none of it was the same. Some guys had pain from their lives before picking a branch of the military and others carried the burden of what they’d seen and the things they’d been tasked with doing. For an unlucky few, the pain was two-fold.
“I hope Hardtail Ranch is as good for you as it has been for me, so if you need something that I can help with, I will try my damnedest to do just that.”
They were a captive audience, but I wasn’t fooling myself. It wasn’t the message at all. Right now it was the fact that I’d given each of them a soft place to land when the military no longer had a use for them. For now, that was enough. “When I spoke to each of you as your time in the service drew to a close, you said you wanted to be part of something similar. A brotherhood. A family.”
“Fuck yeah,” Slayer smacked the table with a gleam in his eye.
“My friend and old Prez has given us the green light for an Opey, TX Chapter of the Reckless Bastards. You don’t have to decide right, now but just know that’s a discussion for another time.” Holden, Slayer and even Cruz had that same gleam in their eyes that I had when I met Cross and some of the old timers who were still around back when I joined. A new family, a new adventure. It was exciting the same way basic training had been. And their first tour. Before the reality of the shitshow started to sink in.
“I’m in,” Cruz said simply and I nodded my acknowledgment.
“This next piece of business is serious, but it has nothing to do with what we just talked about, got me?” I looked at each of them, making sure they all understood that help
ing me with this wouldn’t change a thing.
“Got it,” Slayer said easily.
“Yep,” Holden added and smacked his cowboy hat on top of his head.
“Sure, Boss.” Saint’s whispered words nearly got me to smile.
“I’m in either way, but yeah, got it.” Cruz sat up straight, years of training coursing through his veins as he awaited orders.
“Peaches is a friend of one of my best friend’s old lady. She helped our club when we were in a bind and now she finds herself in trouble and in need of protection.” Without giving away too many details, I told them all about the CAD and the video she’d inadvertently received.
“She came here because there’s no tangible connection between us, but I haven’t exactly been welcoming to her.” It ate at me to have to admit that I’d treated a woman in need that way, but once I reminded myself how well women could lie, the guilt lessened.
“She doesn’t want to stay,” Holden guessed with a smirk. “I thought you were a dick because you liked her.”
Slayer sat up straighter. “You mean we’ve all been keeping our distance thinkin’ she’s yours and she ain’t? I call dibs.”
My fists clenched at my sides and my nostrils flared. “There are no dibs!”
Holden was the first asshole to start laughing and Slayer joined next, soon they were all cracking their asses up. Even Saint. “He likes her but doesn’t even realize it. Priceless.” Holden smacked his hat against his thigh and let out a loud guffawing laugh. “If I had known.”
“If you had known you would’ve roped her in with your monster cock?” Holden was hung and it was no secret, not with his conquests showing up begging for another ride on his beanstalk.
“Jealous, Cruz?”
“Fuck yeah, I am. But now that Peaches is free—”
“—She’s not,” I practically roared and the room fell silent.
“Good to know.” Slayer stood and rubbed his hands together. “You’re staking a claim and your girl needs help. What else?”
“I got her to stay by getting her to do some digital security for The Barn Door and then Hardtail Ranch but that won’t last much longer. She can’t leave until we figure out exactly who is trying to kill her and why.”